San Leandro teacher charged with possession of child porn appears in court

By Natalie Neysa Alund Bay Area News Group

Posted:
09/18/2013 03:47:08 PM PDT

Updated:
09/18/2013 08:37:01 PM PDT

HAYWARD -- An investigation into a San Leandro High School teacher's nude photo mishap revealed a desktop computer at the school contained a file labeled "Stuff" that included dozens of child pornography photographs, videos and nearly 300 illicit child stories, experts testified this week.

Disturbing details about a bizarre fixation on a fellow teacher were also among several recounted by witnesses during a two-day preliminary hearing for teacher Richard Styner, who is charged with possession of child pornography and first-degree residential burglary.

San Leandro resident Styner, 46, who taught computer programing at the school, was charged in early June and subsequently released on his own recognizance. He appeared Tuesday for a hearing that continued Wednesday in Alameda County Superior Court.

Richard Styner, of San Leandro, arrives at the Hayward Hall of Justice in Hayward on Sept. 18, 2013. Styner, a San Leandro High School teacher, is facing criminal charges that include possession of child pornography and first-degree residential burglary. (Anda Chu/Staff)

San Leandro police Officer Catherine Pickard -- one of three witnesses to testify -- said Styner was teaching a computer class at the high school on April 16 when he allegedly displayed a naked picture of himself on a video screen during a class presentation on how to transfer pictures from electronic devices. The students in that class ranged in age from 14 to 18.

Styner reported the incident to the school's administration, who called police.

A subsequent search of a computer in Room 400, where Styner primarily taught, found photographs, videos and 299 child porn stories, experts testified. In one story, a 14-year-old girl has sex with her brother; the story includes a photograph of a nude female who appears to be under the age of 18.

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Pickard testified the school-issued computer was assigned to Styner.

"He was the only computer program teacher in that room," Pickard testified. "He used (the computer) for preparing lessons and teaching students."

The images were found by a school district IT employee inside a Dropbox file labeled "Stuff." Dropbox is a free online storage company that allows users to access photos, videos and documents at different locations.

Pickard said the employee "saw images he felt were disturbing" and appeared to be child porn so he copied the file and handed it over to police for examination.

In addition, she said an April 17 search warrant conducted at Styner's home yielded the discovery of more porn on hard drives found in the living room.

Terrence Wong, a criminologist with the FBI's Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory in Contra Costa County, testified he was asked to examine the evidence. He ran it through the Child Victim Identification Program of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children database, which confirmed that at least some of the victims depicted were known to the FBI to be underage.

Styner is facing the first-degree residential burglary charge for entering a former co-worker's home while she was out of town in October, testimony revealed.

The victim, who previously worked at the high school with Styner, testified that she had been friends with Styner and his wife. She said she and Styner shared a common interest in running, so they often ran together.

The victim, now a principal at another Bay Area high school, said she went to Texas in July of 2012 and gave Styner a key to her San Leandro home so he could keep an eye on it. When she returned, she said Styner offered to keep the key in the event of an emergency.

She said that her home had been burglarized in December of 2011, so she agreed. But, she testified, her understanding was he would not to enter the home without permission.

Styner entered her home sometime between Oct. 22, 2012, and Oct. 24, 2012, and set out her underwear, running pants and other items from her dresser and photographed them, according to court documents. He also allegedly altered photographs of her face on naked bodies.

Prosecutor Patrick Moriarty showed her a photo of the items, and she identified them as hers. She also said they'd gone missing. When the prosecutor showed her another photo of underwear, she testified it was a picture of another pair of her underwear on a bed in her hotel room during a trip to Las Vegas.

She said Styner and his wife also attended the trip to run a marathon and that they stayed a few rooms down from her on the same floor.

The hearing is set to resume Sept. 26 in Judge Kevin Murphy's Hayward courtroom. On that date the judge will decided if there is enough evidence to move the case against Styner before a jury trial.

San Leandro Unified School District Superintendent Mike McLaughlin said this week that Styner remains on unpaid administrative leave. The district is cooperating with police and prosecutors and is conducting its own investigation, school officials said.